TIP #225
This tip was sent on the week: September 6th to September 12th2009

Tip #225 - More on True Retranslation

Another typical and very simple example of a misleading retranslation would be the sentence:

Vimos un banco = We saw a bank

If we retranslate this as “Vimos un banco” using the method of copy-paste back translation, as done by free Internet translators, we would be leaving the reader in a state of uncertainty. What kind of “bank” is it? Was it a bank where you deposit money, or a bank of fish, or the bank of a river? What on Earth does this mean? Besides, what do we mean by “saw”? Does the program mean that the bank is being cut in halves or simply that it was “looked at”?

From the point of view of the writer of the Spanish phrase, there are also many ambiguities. The writer knows which bank he is specifically talking about, but he does not know how his Spanish is being rendered into English by the program. Is the program translating “banco” as a “money bank”, or as a bench where you can sit on? There is also the possibility of a geological bank, or even a school of fish.

Therefore, True Retranslation has to come again to the rescue and dispel the ambiguities.

The default translation is retranslated as:

Vimos un banco = We saw a bank = Vimos (mirar) una entidad bancaria

Now, with True Retranslation we now know that the Translator is interpreting saw as the verb “to look” and “bank” as a banking house (entidad bancaria).

But, suppose that you are not talking about money banks. You are actually talking about a bench (in the park).

Fortunately, Word Magic Professional Text Translator is not limited to a single choice. Using the Interactive Mode in conjunction with the Retranslation Mode you can display the following alternatives automatically, one click at a time:

Notice that the True Retranslation feedback system on each sentence will inform the Spanish User exactly what the English recipient is receiving and interpreting. This functionality is not available elsewhere on any other software. It is an exclusive invention of Word Magic Software.

Word Magic Professional Text Translator enables you to fly, instead of being bound to an inflexible set of tracks on the ground; most importantly, it lets you know “what” your recipient is getting at the other end of the line. That’s precisely what communication is about. Download a Free Trial Here.

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